Roses are black, violets are gray
by Taylor Celeste
Summary: ...without you, my world is fading away. Demeter x Mr. Gardner.


**(C) - Rick Riordan, all the quotes!**

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><p><strong>Roses are black; violets are gray<strong>**  
><strong>**Written by Taylor**

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><p>She has been getting suspicious looks for about thirty minutes now, probably because she had spent forty minutes in a flower store without buying anything. The day just before that she had been scolding the owner of a previous flower shop for its disturbing hygiene, but she felt like she was in a daisy field when she is in this one.<p>

_The shop actually as carpeting! _Soft and furry with a lavender scent - the store does not even sell lavenders! Blooming multi-coloured flowers stood out from all directions, wrapped tightly around by tissue paper. Cockroach free. Odor free. Demeter heaven.

"Excuse me?" A voice from the corner of the room squeaked. "Are you planning on buying anything, mam'?" When she glared, he quickly shrunk back. She may not be Aphrodite, but she can still charm someone when she wants to.

"Is there a problem?" She asked coolly. Zeus, mortals these days!

"I'm just glad you are enjoying this shop." Now he spoke again, she could see him better. A freckly face, his eyes hidden behind tinted glasses. He can't be pegged as ugly, but his curly auburn hair that looks great on Artemis looks silly on him. He wore a dark green apron, wet with scented water.

"Um, thanks or whatever."

"I own it."

Her head snapped up, finding herself frowning with a sense of weirdness welling up inside. This man _owns _the most beautiful, lavishing florist place she'd ever been to. _This _man?

She guess florists aren't rated high these days.

Demeter offered a sweet smile, and put a bouquet of daises down on the counter. "I would like to buy them. Actually, can I buy the whole shop?"

His playful smile told her, he wished.

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><p><strong><em>You come to love not by finding the <span>perfect<span> person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly._**

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><p>OoOoO<p>

"DEMETER!" She watched as the goddess of wisdom stormed into the room, with Aphrodite and Hera following right behind her. _This is going to be interesting. _She chuckled to herself at the weird trio.

"Forget about everything Athena is going to say. Oh my Zeus! This is soooooo romantic!" Aphrodite squealed, stepping in front of Athena. She could look like a model if she wants, but at that moment, she looked like an over-excited teenager on her first date.

All Hera said was, "Hmph." Maybe she was still mad about her and Zeus.

"Have you had cereal this morning?" Athena said calmly, as if those words were meant to slap her on the face.

She smiled her best fake smile. "No, _mother." _

Athena's mouth dropped right open into a perfect 'o'. Aphrodite burst into a pearl of giggles. "Have you looked at yourself lately, Demeter?"

What's wrong with her? She looked down, only to find her regular clothes. She quickly yanked a mirror from Aphrodite's pocket. Normal. She had on a flowery skirt and farm boots, which went surprisingly well together. She was also very aware of the tiny bump on her stomach, which Aphrodite spent three nights celebrating about - and she bragged about finding Demeter her true love.

Athena shook her head. "You've gone crazy lately. Take a good look at yourself."

"Oh, I will." She tossed her hair, still holding up the mirror. She was Demeter. A beautiful goddess, with a natural look.

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><p><strong><em>If I had a <span>flower<span> for every time you made me smile or laugh, I'd have a garden to walk through forever._**

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><p>OoOoO<p>

The tears in her eyes gained up on her. The horror stories from the other goddesses really made her wish Katie wasn't born. Of course, they all _have _to know the truth some point. It was like handing them an instruction pamphlet saying, "Your kid is a demigod. These are the instructions to how to take care of one." and then walking away.

She had no husband, whatsoever, but winter is clearing away and spring is Persephone season.

Instead of all the things she prepared to announce, she found herself staring at his perfect face. She had grown to love his quiet personality, tucked up in cheap clothes and a freckled face.

She could simply not do this.

"What's wrong, Demi?" She congratulated herself on getting such a normal name yet it was so close to her real name. He seemed genuinely worried as she took a seat down beside him.

Replacing her twenty-minute speech was one line -

"I'm the Greek goddess Demeter."

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><p><strong><em>Beginnings are usually <span>scary<span>, endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living._**

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><p>OoOoO<p>

She found one single note scrunched up in her coat pocket, and she smoothed the edges.

On it was three simple lines:

_If you love someone more than anything, then distance only matters to the mind, not to the heart._

She cried over this, and decided to name the baby "Katie" after his mom.

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><p><strong><em>Falling in love is <span>awfully simple<span>, but falling out of love is simply awful._**

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><p>OoOoO<p>

Demeter went back to mother mode. She didn't feel like the young teenage girl she was when it all happened. She found herself aching about the upcoming wedding, even though it was done under her blessing.

Finally, she could stand it no more. She slipped on a simple dress - the dress she wore when she first saw him. She didn't have an invitation, but as a goddess, she works as a human GPS. Her hair was done in a simple braid, which made her look like some sort of garden fairy. The slippery footpath stung her barefeet until they tirned red.

He changed a lot - he combed his hair and put on hair gel. His crooked teeth got good whitening. He stood there in front of the gate, next to the posh limo.

Taking a deep breath, she went for it.

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><p><strong><em>If you <span>love<span> something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be._**

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><p>OoOoO<p>

"Demeter?" He asked with shock and disbelief. "Oh, please tell you are not -"

"Can we go somewhere to talk?" She asked. Before he could reply, she took his hand and led him to the back of the church, where a deserted fountain stood.

She looked him in the eye, making sure he gets a long good look at her. "I'm glad you are getting married, but I would like you to take on Katie."

He nodded, without any questioning. "I will."

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. _"I'll see you around." And with that, she quietly walked away,

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><p><strong><em>I'll sit and I'll smile as you tell me about your <span>new girl<span>. I hope she's happy…She gets my entire world._**

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><p><strong>What do you get when a girl has a writer's block, is feeling weirdly Aphrodite, and likes to write about minor characters? This fic! (Plus I am seriously quote obsessed, any clever quotes are awesome.)<strong>

**You are going to be expecting a lot of oneshots from me (Some which I might delete later) until a new idea pops into my head, which I hope is SOON.**

**R&R, thanks!**

**- Taylor**


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